Rampant garbage dumping killing roadside trees

Rampant garbage dumping killing roadside trees

Random dumping of garbage, including toxic items, wreaks havoc to roadside trees in Brahmanbaria municipality. The photo was taken from the town bypass a few days ago. PHOTO: STAR

Random dumping of toxic garbage causes death to roadside trees from Border Bazaar point to Poirtala bridge of the town bypass, thanks to the callousness of the cleaning department staff of Brahmanbaria municipality.

Visiting the spot on eastern side of the bypass a few days ago, this correspondent saw several trees with their base covered with waste materials looking barren while a few others relatively free from the garbage seemed greener.

Once there were at least 50 live trees but now only 10 to 12 of them remain, locals said.

They also said some traders hang cables and signboards, fixing them with iron nails on the trees, causing their harm.

Despite being an 'A' category municipality, Brahmanbaria lacks any specific spot for dumping its huge garbage and so, scattering of waste materials pollutes environment, said Md Alamgir of Poirtala village.

Enamul Haque, assistant conservator of forest in Brahmanbaria, said regular dumping of garbage at the base of the trees poisons the soil, causing hindrance to the growth of trees and their gradual death.

In absence of proper garbage management system including waste treatment plant, various waste materials from mills, factories, hospitals, business centres and households in the municipality are disposed in unplanned ways, affecting lives as well as underground water, Md Saifullah Talukder, deputy director of the environment department in the district, said.

Md Helal Uddin, mayor of Brahmanbaria municipality, said, "A project proposal for a big dumping spot has already been sent to the higher authorities. I also directed the staffs concerned to take care of the environment while dumping garbage."